08/04/2026 – About the Topic
Creativity and technology have always been intertwined, each new advance adding tools for forward thinking humans to express themselves. In the early 1950’s at the dawn of the digital age an entire new world began to open for artists and technologists. From manipulating wave forms on early oscilloscopes to pushing pixels on ever shrinking screens, projectors, robotics, speakers, and computers, the digital age has made previously impossible art possible.
Now, augmented reality, virtual reality, and extended reality are adding yet another dimension (literally) to what artists can make and audiences can experience. The headset and the mobile device are the newest tools in the artist’s kit, and creators are only beginning to explore what they can do.
Creative expression has always been a kind of augmentation of reality – an act of looking at the lived world and reaching for something beyond it, trying to give shape to the ineffable, to make meaning from feeling, to let others inside an experience they couldn’t otherwise have.
Join us for a conversation with artists and developers who are working at this frontier, exploring how immersive technology is changing not just what art looks like, but what it can do – and what it might mean for human expression in the decades to come.
Guest Host
Panel Members
What’s the Format
Times in Central Daylight Time (CDT)
5:30-8:30pm for the In-Person Program
6:00-8:00pm in Virbela for the Virtual Program
5:30-6:15pm – Networking & Technology Demonstrations
6:15-6:30pm – Introductions & Welcome
6:30-7:10pm – Panelist Presentations
7:10-7:45pm – Panel Discussion with Q&A
7:45-8:30pm – Networking & Technology Demonstrations
We will start with informal networking, then host a panel discussion to answer audience questions, and we end with more networking. We keep it simple and informal – this meetup is about you, our members, and not just a soap box for the host, presenters, or our sponsors. Come and get your questions answered, take your next step in Immersive Technology.
Attending The Next Evolution
Attending in-Person
2112 | 4245 N Knox Ave
conveniently located off Interstate 90/94, one (1) block from the CTA Montrose Blue Line stop as well as the Metra Mayfair stop.
Watching the Live Stream
Primary Live Stream | www.youtube.com/@AWEXR/streams
People can join by watching the scheduled live stream where we will field questions from!
Attending Virtually
FRAME
Framevr.io/the-next-evolution-awe-nite-chicago
We encourage folks to join us in the virtual environment by simply clicking the link above.
The Frame virtual environment resembles a physical space, so you will be able to talk with other attendees prior to the start of the presentations. We suggest that you arrive no later than 6:00pm and we will get started promptly at 6:15. Please try to get familiar with the technology prior to the meetup, as we will be unable to provide support during the event. Share your camera or simply be a unique avatar or a robot!
thank you to our sponsors
thank you to our supporting partners
